Opera Web Browser
I
recommend this free web browser from Norway. Opera is easy to install, fast and
well-behaved and there are versions for every system: PC, Mac, Linux, Unix, etc., even
an old one. It has email and newsgroups (if you want) or you can use an existing
method, such as Outlook Express. It is fully W3C compliant, supporting the latest
internet standards. Popular plug-ins (shockwave, flash, etc.) are pre-installed.
A useful feature is the simple method of deleting all personal data, such as surfing history, cookies and passwords. This might be handy if other people use your computer. Of particular interst might be the ease of zooming in or out of pictures. Just press the plus or minus key a few times and restore it to normal with the star key.
Opera also has great features for website authors, such as the ease of verifying a page. Very occasionally, some websites won't display properly in Opera as they have been fine-tuned for a particular browser, usually IE. This is not a browser fault, just a company decision to lazily go their own way. You can still make it work though, by changing a setting which pretends that you are using a different browser. You can still download the old Mosaic browser if you like nostalgia.
Firefox Web Browser
Of course Firefox is an excellent browser with a lot of enthusiasts. Its usage comes second after Internet Explorer. Versions are available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Like Opera, there are fewer virusses for these alternative web browsers, while virus writer concentrate on Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
